
Honorary graduates
Since 1966, the University of Surrey has bestowed honorary degrees on notable individuals who have made a significant contribution within their field and to society.
Doctor of the University
22 October 1966
- Sir John Adams CMG FRS
- Austen Harry Albu
- Sir Leon Bagrit
- Sir Alec Issigonis CBE
- The Rt Hon the Earl of Munster KBE
- Dame Sybil Thorndike DBE
6 January 1968
- Julian Bream OBE
- Professor Joseph Cathala Officier Legion d'Honneur
- Sidney Frank Rich OBE
- Dr Ralph Winton West CBE (Posthumous)
2 December 1968
- Professor Carl Hirsh
- Sir William Houghton
- Dr Francis Edgar Jones MBE FRS
- Rt Hon the Lord Nugent of Guildford
- Lady Ruth Nugent
- Professor Sir Alfred Grenville Pugsley OBE FRS
3 December 1969
- Sir Harold Montague Finniston FRS
- Professor Sir Michael James Lighthill FRS
- Dr Arthur Douglas Merriman GC OBE
- Dr Edward John Victor Pasmore CBE
- Dr Beatrice Shilling OBE
5 December 1970
- Professor Etienne Paul Grandjean
- Professor Sir George Porter FRS
- The Rt Rev George Edmund Reindorp
- Sir Ernest George Woodroofe
4 December 1971
- Professor Stephane du Chateau
- Sir Edward Fennessy CBE
- Sir Laurens Jan van der Post CBE
1 December 1972
- Professor Dennis Gabor CBE FRS
- Philip Victor Marchant
- Dr Charles Garrett Williams
1 December 1973
- Yehudi Menuhin
- Dr Rendel Sebastian Pease
30 December 1974
- Professor Sir Hermann Bondi KCB FRS
- Philip Sydney Henman
- John William Penycate
27 August 1975
- Sir Alfred Charles Bernard Lovell OBE FRS
- Sir Frederick Lincoln Ralphs
- Lady Jackson DBE (Barbara Ward)
29 November 1975
- Sir Charles Forte
- The Rt Hon Lord Gardiner of Kittisford
- Dr Douglas Malcolm Aufrere Leggett
- Sir Ronald Wallace Wates
- The Rt Hon Viscount Watkinson of Woking
- LtCol Herbert James Wells CBE MC
4 December 1976
- Sir Kenneth George Corfield
- Professor ThoroldDickinson CBE
- Dr Joseph Needham FRS
26 January 1977
- The Rt Hon Lord Robens of Woldingham
3 December 1977
- Sir Frederick Charles Frank FRS
- Elisabeth Frink CBE
- Sir Claus Adolf Moser Comdr de l'Ordre Nat Du Merite (Fr)
1 December 1978
- Professor Ralf Gustav Dahrendorf
- Sir Ralph Freeman CBE
- Professor William Valentine Mayneord CBE FRS
30 November 1979
- Sir Henry Frederick Ross Catherwood
- Professor Otto Gustaf Edholm
- Sir George Robert Edwards OM CBE FRS
- Professor Reginald Victor Jones CB CBE FRS
- Sir Shridath Surendranath Ramphal CMG
28 November 1980
- Dr Duncan Sheppey Davies
- Dr Eric Duckworth
- Vernon Handley
- Sir Francis Avery Jones CBE
4 December 1981
- Dr Jack Birks CBE
- Sir Ernest Thomas Harrison OBE
- Dr Richard Hoggart
3 December 1982
- John Eveleigh Bolton CBE DSC
- Professor Sir David Gwynne Evans CBE FRS
- John Royden Maddox
- Sir David Alexander Orr MC
2 December 1983
- Sir Arnold Stanley Vincent Burgen FRS
- Viscount Etienne Davignon
- Sir Ieuan Maddock CB OBE FRS FREng
- Sir Georg Solti KBE
7 December 1984
- Professor Rosalinde Hurley
- Robert Malpas CBE FREng
- Thomas Irvine Smith OBE
- Sir John Vane FRS
6 December 1985
- Dr ir Hendrikus Ludovicus Beckers
- Dennis Joseph Enright
- Sir John Harvey-Jones MBE
- Samuel Curtis Johnson
12 December 1986
- Anthony Alfred Caro KB
- Dr Ronald Frederick Coleman
- Dr Desmond George King-Hele
- Professor Sir William Macdonald Paton CBE FRS
11 December 1987
- Bernard Albert Eastwell OBE
- Dr Kevin William Keohane CBE
- Sir John Emms Read
- Henri Charles Vidal
9 December 1988
- Professor Ke Jun (Tsun Ko)
- Sir Richard Anthony Meyjes
- Brian Frederick Street
- Sir Francis Leonard Tombs
8 December 1989
- Sir Geoffrey Allen FRS
- The Rt Hon Lord Cockfield of Dover
- Sir Charles Hugh Reece
6 July 1990
- The Rt Hon Lord Wolfson of Marylebone
20 July 1990
- John Stuart Bevan
- The Rev Dr Donald English
7 December 1990
- Sir Walter Bodmer FRS
- Baroness Cumberlege of Newick CBE
- Sir Denis Rooke CBE FRS FREng
- Professor Jon Stallworthy
19 July 1991
- Professor Paul Joseph Black OBE
- Dr Gerhard Weiler
29 November 1991
- Professor George Alfred Hugh Elton CB
- Sir Charles Barnard Groves CBE
- Dr Carole Jordan FRS
- The Lord Rayner of Crowborough
- The Rt Rev & Rt Hon the Lord Runcie of Cuddesdon
- Leonard John Weaver CBE
17 July 1992
- Academician Igor Semyonovich Kon
24 July 1992
- The Very Rev Desmond Anthony Beirne
31 July 1992
- Richard John William Alston
- Professor Robert Anthony Bernard Leaper CBE
4 December 1992
- Professor Sushantha Kumar Bhattacharyya
- His Eminence Cardinal (George) Basil Hume
- Leonard John Kail
- Professor Claude Levy-Leboyer
- Professor Howard Joseph Newby
- Professor Alexander Michael Ross
- Professor William Duncan Paterson Stewart
30 July 1993
- Professor David Burman Edgar
- Professor Alexander Shurbanov
3 December 1993
- Elizabeth Esteve-Coll
- Zena Oxlade CBE
- Professor Kenneth Packer FRS
- Sir Austin William Pearce CBE
- Professor Roger Penrose FRS
- Dr Heinz Riesenhuber
8 July 1994
- Dr Peter Brinson
- Geoffrey Lomer CBE FREng
- Chikahisa Nagai
- Professor Yasuharu Suematsu
22 July 1994
- Professor Peter Clifford McIntosh
29 July 1994
- Professor Henry Chadwick
9 December 1994
- Peter Bonfield CBE FREng
- Bryan Hildrew CBE FREng
- Dr Zenon Jagodzinski
- Professor Anthony Kelly CBE FREng FRS
- Dr Alan Rudge OBE FREng FRS
- Charles Sandbank FREng
27 July 1995
- Baroness Perry of Southwark
1 December 1995
- The Rt Rev Michael Adie CBE
- Dr Cham Tao Soon
- Professor Rita R Colwell
- Baroness Caroline Cox of Queensbury
- Sir Diarmuid Downs CBE, FRS
1 July 1996
- Judith Olivia Dench, OBE
19 July 1996
- The Rt Hon Baron Nolan of Brasted
25 July 1996
- Monica Mason
20 December 1996
- Professor Sir David Davies, CBE, FREng, FRS
- Professor Patrick Boulter, FRCSE, FRCS
12 June 1997
- Professor Ernst-Ulrich Schlünder
13 June 1997
- Sir Rocco Forte
30 June 1997
- David Terence Miller
- Nicholas Andrew Serota
23 July 1997
- Rt Rev John Jukes
- Trevor McDonald OBE
24 July 1997
- Marilyn Speers Butler
- Iona Margaret Balfour Opie
5 December 1997
- Dame Evelyn Elizabeth Ann Glennie
12 December 1997
- Mr Ivor Forbes Guest
- Mr Nabil Mohammed Shaban
- Sir John Meurig Thomas, ScD, FRS
4 December 1998
- Dr Paul Bélanger
- Mr Peter Kenneth Blair OBE FREng
- Dr Sam Ramsamy
17June 1999
- Siobhan Davies MBE
18 June 1999
- General Sir Rupert Smith KCB DSO OBE QGM
- Professor Akito Arima
3 December 1999
- Mary Patricia McAleese
- Professor Stephen Campbell Holt
- Sir Richard Sykes DSc FRS
- Dr John Michael Taylor OBE FREng
3 July 2000
- Patrick Caulfield
21 July 2000
- Michael David Wheeler
14 July 2000
- Tanni Grey-Thompson, OBE
1 December 2000
- Ron Dennis
15 June 2001
- Sir Eric Ash, CBE. FREng, FRS
2 July 2001
- Professor Anthony Cragg
- Jocelyn Herbert
27 July 2001
- Dr Michael Marland, CBE
30 November 2001
- Sir John Parker FREng FRINA FIMarE
- Dr Andrew G Rickman, OBE
25 July 2002
- Professor John Sutherland
26 July 2002
- Brian William Alderson
13 June 2002
- Dr Robert Hawley CBE
- Dr Alan Hayes, CBE
6 December 2002
- Peter Saraga
- H.E. Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, STL, PhL
- Penelope Keith OBE
19 June 2003
- The Hon Judge David Edward, CMG, QC, FRSE
20 June 2003
- Professor Michael Baker, TD, FRSE
- Mary Baker, MBE
- Professor Otto Pick, CMG
30 June 2003
- Lord Puttnam of Queensgate, CBE
16 July 2003
- Gerald O’Collins SJ
24 July 2003
- Philip Pullman
25 July 2003
- Steven Pinker
2 April 2004
- Sir David Martin Brown, FREng
- Professor Roger Howard Clarke
- Lennart Meri
- Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan
17 June 2004
- Sir Daniel Norton Idris Pearce, CBE, TD, DL
- Derek John Thomas, CBE, DL
28 June 2004
- Terry Gilliam
2 March 2005
- Bhikhu Chhotalal Parekh
8 April 2005
- Dr Ernest Littauer
- Professor David Wood
- Professor Michael Gibbons MBE
17 June 2005
- Sir Harold Kroto
- Alec James Stewart OBE
16 June 2006
- Professor Jerrold Marsden
- Professor Patrick Dowling CBE
- Mrs Janet Gaymer CBE
30 March 2007
- Mrs Claire Rayner, OBE
- Sir David Varney
21 June 2007
- Mr Thomas Joseph Black
- Mr Peter Molyneux, OBE
22 June 2007
- The Rt Hon the Lord Browne of Madingley
- Mr James Douglas Moir Robertson, CBE
- Lord Sainsbury of Turville
4 April 2008
- Mr Neil James Kipling
- drs Jan Derwig
17 June 2008
- Professor Richard F Casten
18 June 2008
- Professor Jean Hooper, CBE
19 June 2008
- Mr Arie de Geus
- Sir Ray Tindle
- Sir George Martin, CBE
20 June 2008
- Mr James (Jimmy) Patrick Page, OBE
2 April 2009
- Professor Peter Bunyan
- Mr Martin Earwicker
3 April 2009
- Mr Jonny Wilkinson, OBE
24 June 2009
- Mr Noel Fitzpatrick
- Miss Vicki Aggar
26 June 2009
- Mr Elon Musk
15 April 2010
- Dame Linda Dobbs, DBE
- Sir Adrian White, CBE
15 July 2010
- Mr Peter Hutley, OBE
- Mr David Sheard
16 July 2010
- His Honour John Bull, QC DL
12 April 2011
- Professor Andrew Hamilton
12 July 2011
- Lady Diana Kerr
13 July 2011
- Mr Roger Black, MBE
14 July 2011
- Sir Michael Aaronson, CBE
- Mr John Williams
15 July 2011
- Professor John Sexton
- Dr Graham Spittle, CBE
19 April 2012
- The Right Reverend Dr Jonathan Frost
20 April 2012
- Professor Alf Adams
- Professor Hussain Al-Shahristani
- Mr Michael Glover, OBE
- Mr Robert Lainé
17 July 2012
- The Very Reverend Victor Stock
20 July 2012
- Ms Sandi Toksvig, OBE
- Professor Lord Robert Winston
10 April 2013
- Professor Walter Stahel
11 April 2013
- Professor Gordon Murray, CBE
12 April 2013
- Mr Christopher Rodrigues, CBE
16 July 2013
- Mr Paul Sheffield , CBE
17 July 2013
- Mr Colin Stokes
- Professor Adnei Melges de Andrade
18 July 2013
- Mr Michael Buerk
19 July 2013
- Mr Max Taylor
20 July 2013
- Dr Richard Budgett, OBE
9 April 2014
- Sir Richard Stilgoe, OBE DL
- Nikolai Dimidenko
15 July 2014
- Professor Dame Sally Davies
- Dr Ann Prentice, OBE
16 July 2014
- Mr Geoff Loane
18 July 2014
- Mr Neil Chapman
- Sir William Wells
16 April 2015
- The Rt Revd Christopher Hill
- Ms Dame Judith Hackitt, DBE
17 April 2015
- Mr Dudley Eustace
14 July 2015
- Colonel Philippe Rossiter
- Mr Thomas Chambers
15 July 2015
- Professor Peter Flewitt
16 July 2015
- His Excellency Mr Ahmet Üzümc
13 July 2016
- Professor Sir Christopher Snowden
- Dr John Forrest, CBE
15 July 2016
- Professor John Picket, CBE
6 April 2017
- Mr Nick Moberly
7 April 2017
- Mr Liam Heath, MBE
13 July 2017
- Professor Sir Jim McDonald
- Mr Kevin McGrath OBE, DL
14 July 2017
- The Rt. Hon. the Lord Willetts
12 April 2018
- Professor Dame Anne Glover
- Ms Perdita Hunt OBE
13 April 2018
- Mr Paul Polman KBE
19 July 2018
- Mr Brian Allison
20 July 2018
- Mr Ashley Herman
- Dr Jamie Shea
10 April 2019
- Professor Christopher Lowe, OBE
15 July 2019
- Dr Sylvia Lancaster, OBE
17 July 2019
- Ms Odaline de la Martinez
- Professor Dame Sue Hill, OBE
18 July 2019
- Rt Hon Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, DL
- Professor Paul Wellings, CBE
12 July 2021
- Keith Robson
13 July 2021
- Dr Ya-Qin Zhang
- Professor Sarah Cleaveland
- Professor Dame Jane Dacre
14 July 2021
- Professor Steven Myint
- The Rt Revd and the Rt Hon The Lord (Rowan) Williams of Oystermouth
16 July 2021
- Alberto Verme
20 July 2021
- Professor Peter Sadler
21 July 2021
- Professor Sir Steve Smith
22 July 2021
- Youngsuk Chi
23 July 2021
- Lady Brenda Hale
Fellowship of the University
22 July 2021
- Gavin Stephens